Fact Check: Sakeik's family fled to the U.S. as Palestinian refugees from Saudi Arabia.

Fact Check: "Sakeik's family fled to the U.S. as Palestinian refugees from Saudi Arabia."

What We Know

Ward Sakeik, a 22-year-old woman of Palestinian descent, was born in Saudi Arabia to a family that identifies as Palestinian refugees. According to her husband, Taahir Shaikh, Sakeik came to the United States at the age of 8 on a visitor's visa with her family, who had sought asylum in the U.S. after their arrival. However, their asylum request was denied, and they were placed under an order of supervision, which required annual check-ins with immigration authorities (Newsweek, KERA News). Sakeik does not hold citizenship in Saudi Arabia and is considered stateless, as Saudi law does not grant citizenship to individuals born to Palestinian refugees (Dallas Observer, Star-Telegram).

Analysis

The claim that Sakeik's family fled to the U.S. as Palestinian refugees from Saudi Arabia is substantiated by multiple sources. Her husband explicitly states that she was born to a refugee family and that they sought asylum in the U.S. after arriving on a visitor's visa (KERA News). Additionally, it is confirmed that Sakeik has been considered stateless her entire life due to the lack of citizenship rights for Palestinians in Saudi Arabia (Dallas Observer, Daily Mail).

The reliability of the sources is strong, as they include reputable news organizations like Newsweek and KERA News, which have a history of covering immigration issues and have reported on Sakeik's case with detailed accounts of her family's background and immigration status. The information presented is consistent across multiple outlets, reinforcing the credibility of the claim.

Conclusion

Verdict: True. The evidence clearly supports the claim that Ward Sakeik's family fled to the U.S. as Palestinian refugees from Saudi Arabia. Her status as a stateless individual and the circumstances surrounding her family's immigration to the U.S. confirm this assertion.

Sources

1. Husband Fears For Bride Detained by ICE While Returning from ...
2. North Texas woman detained after honeymoon faces deportation to unknown ...
3. ICE wants to deport Palestinian refugee in Texas to Israel | Fort Worth ...
4. Dallas Woman Detained By ICE After Returning From Honeymoon | Dallas ...
5. Bride was overjoyed to marry love of her life... until ICE ...